


he went to shiratorizawa

by novocaine_sea



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Oikawa goes to STZ AU, team swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 13:43:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20047003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novocaine_sea/pseuds/novocaine_sea
Summary: Oikawa is itching for something new. Something fresh. Oikawa wants to go to nationals. What better way to do that than to set for the guy who had made it to nationals all three years of middle school?Even if Oikawa had made a sworn enemy of Ushijima Wakatoshi, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.





	he went to shiratorizawa

**Author's Note:**

> This was too long to fit on dreamwidth, so i had to put it here. for the prompt in bonus round 3: [AU where Oikawa went to Shiratorizawa](https://sportsfest.dreamwidth.org/22368.html?thread=2875232#cmt2875232)

Oikawa’s decision to go to Shiratorizawa is a difficult one. Iwaizumi is his home, the person he felt most comfortable with. But he doesn’t think he can grow with him at Aoba Johsai. He and Iwaizumi have spent their whole lives together, doing the same tosses. Iwaizumi’s spikes still give him butterflies, but Oikawa is itching for something new. Something fresh. Oikawa wants to go to _ nationals _. What better way to do that than to set for the guy who had made it to nationals all three years of middle school?

Even if Oikawa had made a sworn enemy of Ushijima Wakatoshi, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“It’s not like I won’t see you,” Oikawa reassures Iwaizumi the night before they start their separate journeys. 

“You’re literally living in the dorms, dumbass,” Iwaizumi scoffs, but his tone is soft. He sounds more sad than anything, what with not having his best friend around all the time. Some may see it as a relief, but Iwaizumi had grown accustomed to Oikawa’s presence the past however many years.

“You’ll make new friends!” Oikawa pats him on the shoulder. “Iwa-chan will just have to learn to live without his dear Oikawa-san.”

“Actually, this sounds like a great thing. I can’t wait to have a friend who isn’t you.”

“Iwa-chan!” The shrill whine that leaves him is the same one he makes when Ushijima approaches him the next day, his first day at the school.

“Oikawa Tooru,” Ushijima addresses him the following day, and his presence is so demanding that some people turn to watch the spectacle unfold. Now, Oikawa is never one to shy away from being the center of attention, but when it’s due to the hands of his sworn enemy (now teammate?), he is nothing less than pissed.

“W-What?” Oikawa is ashamed of the squeak to his voice as he turns around, trying to sneer but failing.

Oikawa is even more mortified when Ushijima _ bows _ and states: “I look forward to working with you.”

The prim brunette doesn’t even give him a response; he lets out his shrill shriek and promptly turns on his heel to saunter away. He does his best to avoid Ushijima Wakatoshi after that fated encounter, but it’s hard when volleyball practice starts the following week and Ushijima refuses to leave him alone. 

Ushijima reminds him a lot of Tobio; asking Oikawa to set for him after every practice, and reminding Oikawa how grateful he is that he’d chosen Shiratorizawa. It’s starting to get under his skin. Had he made the right decision? Oikawa misses his best friend terribly, and texting Iwaizumi serves to drive a stake further and further into his heart. Iwaizumi is making friends with the other first years, while Oikawa is struggling to make any. His roommate, Semi Eita, has apparently deemed him the enemy since they’re both setters (Oikawa being the better one, in his humble opinion) so that connection is a no-go. The other first years are comprised of a range of personalities, the most subdued being Oohira Reon and the most eccentric being Tendou Satori. Oikawa never wants to have an in depth conversation with Tendou Satori if he can help it.

It’s exhausting trying to feel like he fits in at this school, in this uniform. Every morning he looks at himself in the mirror and he thinks he made the wrong decision. He sees a stranger in purple, whereas he should be in teal. The whole ordeal is foreign, getting dressed in a dorm rather than his bedroom, where Iwaizumi usually berates him for possibly making him late.

“_ But Iwa-chan, my hair doesn’t get like this on its own! _” The memory brings a smile to Oikawa’s face every now and then. It’s what makes him get out of bed to do his hair each morning. That, and volleyball.

Practice gets easier with each passing day. He can’t ignore Ushijima or the rest of his teammates at practice, but that’s fine. Oikawa has always excelled at team work, ironically enough. He’s always found it exhilarating when the ball touches the tips of his fingers and he sends it to somebody who he knows will be waiting. There’s always somebody at the opposite end of a toss. Not to mention his serves. Watching Ushijima toss the ball into the air the way he does has somewhat inspired Oikawa. He wants to do that too. In some way maybe he can perfect it even more than Ushijima has.

“Ushiwaka-chan, I have a proposition that will make our time here worthwhile,” Oikawa approaches him one day at lunch. Ushijima is sitting with the monster as well as the other first years, and Tendou’s head perks up.

“What’s this? The Pretty Boy talking to our Wakatoshi-kun outside of practice? Has he gotten off his high horse?” Tendou leans forward, eager for the answer.

“Semi-chan,” Oikawa addresses the other setter, whom he’d beaten at getting that regular spot on the team. Semi side-eyed him but continued to drag his fork through his food rather than respond. “Did you hear something? It sounded like a bug or something?”

“Nope.”

“SemiSemi!”

“_ Anyway _,” Oikawa interrupts and directs his attention back to Ushijima, faltering a little as the future ace settles an intense gaze on him, “Ushiwaka-chan, if you teach me to serve, I’ll set for you whenever you like.”

Ushijima’s face doesn’t change, but the rest of the table’s did. It was a variant of shock, confusion, and wondering if Oikawa is a mad man. 

“I will teach you to serve,” Ushijima says simply, returning to his meal. Somehow the answer pisses Oikawa off. He wants Ushijima to get on his knees and thank him profusely for being given the highest honor of spending extra time with the one and only Oikawa Tooru.

“Don’t worry, he’s excited, he just doesn’t know how to show it!” Tendou cackles and slaps Ushijima on the back, the latter barely flinching. Even at fifteen he is an unmovable wall of muscle.

Their nightly practice begins that day. It’s frustrating for Oikawa at first because Ushijima isn’t much of a teacher; it’s a good thing that Oikawa is more observant than most. Ushijima doesn’t speak, rather, he _ does _. He tosses the ball over and over again in the air and shows off his skills. As a first year, his form is nearly flawless. It pisses Oikawa off. He’s going to have to work twice as hard as usual just to achieve that.

But he holds up his end of the bargain. Ushijima shows Oikawa his serve and Oikawa mimics for the first half while the latter half is reserved for Oikawa setting to him.

Setting to Ushijima is different than setting to Iwaizumi. There is nobody that Oikawa trusts more than Iwaizumi to be there for that called toss, but somehow, someway Oikawa believes in Ushijima. He gives him long tosses, short tosses, both high and low... Ushijima hits them all. He doesn’t miss a single one. They sync up instantly and seeing Ushijima’s spike, being on the same side of the net of it that is, it sends a thrill through Oikawa he never knew possible. It almost disgusts him. But the feeling he gets in-game as well, the butterflies he feels when Ushijima soars to slam the ball on the other side of the net... That is how Oikawa knows he made the right decision.

Even when Iwaizumi stares at him from across the net and notices the changes in him. But Iwaizumi smiles, and Oikawa smiles back because they’re both happy where they are. Oikawa is shocked at this revelation, but he _ is _ growing happier and happier at Shiratorizawa. He wonders if it has anything to do with Ushijima...

Oikawa starts asking Ushijima questions in their nightly practice as they bleed into their second year. 

“Where’d you learn to play volleyball?” Oikawa asks as he stretches his knee. It’s been bothering him, but hell if he’s going to do anything about it. 

“My father. He plays well and taught me everything I know,” Ushijima states simply, humbly as he gears up to serve. 

“Must be nice, having somebody to teach you,” Oikawa muses, standing straight and joining him on the court, “I had to teach myself.”

“It has its faults. You are good, for being self taught.”

“Just good?” Oikawa squawks. He swears he sees the hint of a smile before the ball is tossed in the air and the eagle takes flight.

Later, when they’re cleaning up the gym, Ushijima tells him, “You are amazing, Oikawa. It is why I wanted to play with you.” It’s so casual that Oikawa isn’t expecting it and the netting slips from his hands as he watches Ushijima walk away from him, back muscles rippling through his shirt.

It’s in that moment that Oikawa realizes that maybe Ushijima gives him butterflies and he doesn’t hate Shiratorizawa as much as he thought he had. 

It gets more interesting when Shirabu Kenjirou joins their team. Oikawa finds himself jealous when Ushijima gives the first year setter more of his time than Oikawa. Their nightly practice is cut in favor of Ushijima working with Shirabu. Oikawa has flashbacks to middle school, when Tobio had joined their team, and commanded the attention of the coaches. Oikawa couldn’t lose Ushijima’s attention too.

“Ushiwaka-chan!” Oikawa catches Ushijima in the hallway on their way to class, smiling at him. Ushijima gives him that blank stare he usually sports, but is Oikawa imagining the light dusting of a blush on his nose? “Let’s practice together tonight! Like old times!”

“I promised Shirabu I would practice with him.” 

“Oh, come on! One day without our little Kenji-chan won’t hurt right? Besides, it’s not like he’ll be the official setter, because that’s me! Shouldn’t you be practicing with my tosses?” It’s common sense, and Oikawa knows that Ushijima only thrives on logic and nothing outside its realm.

“I suppose. I will see you at practice, Oikawa.” Ushijima gives a slight bow and turns in the opposite direction. Oikawa snickers maniacally, pleased his plan had worked, and he had a bounce to his step for the rest of the day. He’d gotten glares from Shirabu after that, every day that Ushijima didn’t practice with him in fact. But that’s fine, Oikawa isn’t looking to make friends with him. He didn’t have to be friends with _all _of his teammates. (But it is nice that Semi has finally warmed up to him. Maybe it’s their mutual disdain for the first year setter, who knows?)

Once their nightly ritual begins again, Oikawa throws all of his energy into making himself the best setter for Ushijima. He pushes his middle school days to the back of his mind in favor of creating new memories here, more powerful memories with more complicated plays and interesting people. Shiratorizawa’s power courses through his veins and he no longer feels like a stranger in its uniform.

Towards the end of their second year, when they’re heading to nationals, Ushijima stops Oikawa on their way to the dorms.

“We could not have done this without you, Oikawa. You should be proud.”

“Ushiwaka-chan... so embarrassing!” Oikawa laughs nasally, out of pure embarrassment. He still hates when Ushijima speaks his mind so bluntly, but he can’t doubt the butterflies it gives him. He gets goosebumps sometimes when Ushijima praises him. Oikawa never returns the favor, though, because Ushijima has likely heard it all his life. He doesn’t need to inflate his ego.

“They want to make you captain next year,” Oikawa blurts as Ushijima turns to go, not wanting him to leave just yet. All be damned, Oikawa has come to enjoy his company, maybe a little more than he should. 

“I think you would be better suited for the role,” Ushijima admits and it stuns Oikawa. Sure, he’d been captain at Kitagawa Daiichi, but this is_ Shiratorizawa_. It needs somebody like Ushijima to be its captain to live up to the sturdiness of the school. 

“But if it has to be me,” Ushijima continues, considering for a moment. His eyes bore holes into Oikawa’s skull but Oikawa cannot force himself to look away, “then I would like it if you would be my vice captain.”

All the air in Oikawa’s lungs dissolves instantly and he tries to regain it, but no amount of air can restore what he’s lost. “Me?” His voice is small, meek. When he’d come to Shiratorizawa, he was full of disdain and the idea that he wouldn’t form a meaningful connection with anybody because he already had that in Iwaizumi. But Ushijima Wakatoshi had crept up on him, as had his feelings, which Oikawa is slowly starting to realize are less than platonic and more romantic. The longer he stares at dull, olive eyes the more he realizes that the partner he’d been yearning for the most was across the net all along. 

“Yes, you.”

Oikawa shakes himself from his thoughts and he lets out a nasally laugh. “Hm! Ushiwaka-chan knows that he couldn’t do anything without the great Oikawa Tooru around!” He pats the sturdy man’s shoulder as he passes him, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we form the strongest team and make it to nationals.”

Their third year is spent cultivating the most perfect team. With the addition of Goshiki Tsutomu, they’re able to do just that. Goshiki is eager to perform, almost as eager as Oikawa is to please Ushijima. Somehow he’s fully accepted his feelings for Ushijima, but he’s still working on getting Ushijima to reciprocate, or show any sort of emotion towards him outside of volleyball. But the thrill is still there, and he can see the excitement in Ushijima’s eyes whenever a toss from Oikawa is sent in his direction. At least that feeling is mutual.

The final match of the preliminaries before Nationals brings Shiratorizawa against Karasuno. Oikawa has wanted nothing more than to defeat Kageyama Tobio since middle school. He’s unsure if he would have been able to do so on Seijou.

But this is Shiratorizawa, and they’ve got the unbeatable duo of Ushijima and Oikawa.

“Ushiwaka-chan!” Oikawa calls for him, sending him the final toss of the fifth set. It’s been grueling, these sets, and Oikawa doesn’t know how his legs and bad knee have lasted this long. He can barely even feel them, his fingertips pulsing along with them. But he can feel his heart racing and his breath catch as Ushijima soars high like the eagle he is born to be and his pulse thunders with the crash of the ball on the opposite side of the net. It’s the spike that wins them the match.

Madness descends around them as the whole team piles on him and Ushijima in celebration, shouting in excitement. Oikawa’s heartbeat roars in his ears as blood rushes through him like a wave. They’re going to nationals, a place Oikawa had not yet touched before.

“One more day in paradise!” Tendou exclaims joyfully and it makes Oikawa cackle. Tendou’s paradise is much different than Oikawa’s; Oikawa’s takes shape as Ushijima Wakatoshi and he tugs him aside when they’re getting ready to load onto the bus after their festivities. Oikawa will never forget his last lingering look at Tobio across the net, and the way his former kouhai had looked shattered, staring at him with wide eyes.

Oikawa does not regret blowing him a kiss.

“Ushiwaka,” Oikawa is breathless as he speaks. He swears Tendou and the rest of the team is watching them from the bus but he doesn’t care. “We’re going to nationals.”

“Yes.” Ushijima nods, unsure why Oikawa is stating this. They had just won. Isn’t it obvious?

“I... I couldn’t have done this without you. The whole team couldn’t...” Oikawa sucks up his pride and bows forward, “Please. Go out with me.”

Ushijima doesn’t say something for quite some time. It makes Oikawa lift his head and he is once more left breathless when he sees the smile on Ushijima’s face. His lips are still pressed together, but the corners of his mouth are lifted, and it’s the brightest he has ever seen the ace smile.

“It would be my honor, Tooru.” 

Oikawa blushes when his given name is used and he turns away, “Stupid Ushiwaka-chan! Saying something like that...” He takes one step before saying, “I like ramen, so let’s do that...”

“Alright.” The smile is evident in Ushijima’s voice and the two of them get on the bus together, only enduring one wolf whistle from Tendou, which is followed by a noise of pain as Semi slaps his arm.

Oikawa can’t help but snicker as he takes his seat. As he does, he feels he is so grateful for going to Shiratorizawa.

**Author's Note:**

> I love STZ so much, come join me: [Twitter](https://twitter.com/novocaine_sea)


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